Governor Bentley introduces employment bill

MONTGOMERY, AL (WBRC) – Governor Robert Bentley introduced what he calls his "centerpiece legislation" on Tuesday morning during a press conference at the State Capitol.

The "Full Employment Act" focuses on small businesses and their parts in creating jobs in Alabama. The bill would allow for businesses with 50 employees or less to get a $1,000 tax credit for every person hired to a new position at $10 an hour or more and kept employed for a full year.

"We didn't want to create a bunch of minimum wage jobs," Bentley told Good Day Alabama Tuesday. "We wanted to create jobs that are decent and fair."

The reason for focusing on small businesses, Bentley says, is that small businesses comprise 70 to 80 percent of the employment in Alabama.

During his campaign for the governor's seat, Bentley stated that he would not take a pay check until Alabama reached "full employment," a figure he notes to be 5.2 percent unemployment. At the current unemployment rate of 9.3 percent, Bentley says he knows there is a way for him to go and that he has other plans to boost employment.

"We have other bills that will be coming out in the next two or three weeks that will attract manufacturing jobs and companies that want to expand," Bentley said. "We have other things coming."

The Full Employment Act is sponsored by Representative Blaine Gallaher and Senator Arthur Orr.